For most of the past 100 years homosexuality was considered a mental illness in New Zealand and countries such as Australia, the UK and the USA. Eventually it was recognised that sexual orientation itself was a red herring when it came to the cause...

A gay Pakistani man who spent more than half his life being bullied and berated for being different has been granted refugee status in New Zealand, by a Tribunal which says he has the right to be who he is, without discrimination.